Cobras rise to the occasion of Tyson Shea’s 300th game

ENTIRELY selfless and forever team-first throughout the first 299 games of his senior career at Bacchus Marsh, Tyson Shea wasn’t about to change tack on the occasion of his 300th game against North Ballarat last Saturday.

While the accolades deservingly flowed during the week and especially on game day, the club’s favourite son’s attention never deflected from the important task at hand of getting a crucial win against one of their main rivals for the Ballarat Football Netball League’s fifth spot.

Satisfyingly, Shea and the Cobras came up trumps, with the club’s most recent premiership captain playing a big and inspiring role in their 35-point win.

As he’s routinely done since debuting for the Cobras’ seniors at age 17, Shea was happy to let his footy do most of the talking.

After a long build-up to the milestone during the week, it was somewhat cathartic to be back on the field of battle.

“Early days it was OK, by the end of the week it was a bit of a living eulogy,” he quipped.

“All I’ve done has been a bit of a local football hack – I haven’t done anything too special.

“To get the job done and to get it done pretty comfortably, that was all I really wanted out of today.

“I thought if we had taken our chances real early, we could have put a lot more pressure on the scoreboard.

“But while we were a bit wasteful early, once we got going, it always felt like we had that five or six goal gap on them.

“They had a few out with their VFL links and injuries, but for us it was really an eight-point game to get us a spot in the finals.

“We really needed to pencil that one in.”

With a fair bit of time to reflect on his time at Bacchus Marsh during the week, Shea – who turned 37 three days before his 300th game – was never going to understate the importance of what the club means to him.

“I’ve been here since juniors, from under-12s, and then senior footy since I was 17,” he said.

“They have probably watched me grow from being a boy to a man, in a sense. I was captain at age 18 and captain for 10 years.

“The club has just meant everything. They have always been in my corner and supported me.

“Everyone here today – past players, the premiership players, my family – for everyone to enjoy it, I think when I eventually finish up, it will be great to reflect on this.”

That appears a way off, with Shea certain to go around again in 2026.

And why not as the club enters a period not unlike that in the lead-up to its coveted first BFNL flag in 2016.

“We’re on the build again – 2014 and 2015, when we led into the premiership of 2016, it’s a similar build to that,” Shea said.

“We have got a core group of under-23s that is really exciting.

“They are only going to get better with more games, and a couple of us older guys will hang on for a bit longer to play with them.

“They are going to be a real force.

“Importantly, I’ve kept my health, the body’s still okay.

“It probably takes a little longer to recover, but I’ve always liked recovery and by Tuesday I’m always pretty good.”

Shea, a multiple best and fairest winner and club captain from 2007 to 2017, became only the third Cobras player to reach 300 games.

He is expected to pass the club’s record holder and 2016 premiership teammate Daniel Velden early in the 2026 season.

With his 300th behind him, Shea said the focus was solely on a big three weeks ahead for the Cobras, with three straight clashes against top-three teams Darley (first), East Point (second) and Melton (third).

“We go in with good form against the top three and we haven’t been blown away against them; we only lost by five or six goals,” he said.

“It’s a good challenge for us, so let’s go to the best.”